6.9 Magnitude Earthquake Latest Of A Series To Hit Wellington, New Zealand

Wellington, capital of New Zealand, was hit by a 6.9 magnitude earthquake on Sunday that damaged buildings, cut power, trapped people in elevators, broke water mains and smashed windows. There have been no reports of injuries, however, and no tsunami.

Wellington Police inspector Marty Parker said there has been minor structural damage that left part of the city without power, the AP reported.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck under the Cook Strait, 35 miles southwest of Wellington, six miles underground.

The quake struck near nightfall, according to Parker.

This is the latest in a sequence of major earthquakes that have been hitting Wellington and surrounding areas around central New Zealand since Thursday, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

New Zealand is part of the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire" that receives regular seismic activity. A severe earthquake in the southern city of Christchurch in 2011 killed 185 people and destroyed much of the city's downtown.